Novak Djokovic Ease Past Gael Monfils in Cincinnati to reach last eight 

Novak Djokovic extended his dominance in the matchup into historic territory on Thursday at the Western & Southern Open. Following his 6-3, 6-2 victory over Gael Monfils.

After a second-set retirement by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina handed Djokovic a win in his first match on American soil since 2021.

“It was kind of an evolution of both players over the past 15-plus years that we’ve been playing each other in different parts of the world, also in juniors,” Djokovic said of their history. “I think early on I struggled a lot with him, I think physically as well. When you play on of the most athletic guys on the Tour, you have to be ready, every ball comes back. A couple of points today, especially in the first set he showed his athleticism.”

With victory in his first completed match since he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final, Djokovic remains on course for a potential rematch with the World No. 1 Spaniard in the title round.

“I just managed to hold my serve really comfortably. I think I was hitting the spots well, and just made him play,” said Djokovic, who stressed the importance of serving well in the quick Cincinnati conditions. “He made a few unforced errors at 4-3 in the first set to hand me the break. After that it was no looking back for me. I started to raise the level more and more, almost a flawless second set. I guess his game suits me. It’s nice to see him back. We haven’t played for quite a few years. It’s great to see him back playing at a high level.”

Next up for Djokovic will be home favourite Taylor Fritz, who advanced to the quarters when Laslo Djere retired while trailing 0-5 in their Thursday meeting.